In
this critical documentary about the world’s largest fast food chain, Morgan
Spurlock sets out on what he describes as “every eight year old’s dream”: a
month long, three-meal-a-day binge at McDonald’s fast food restaurants. In
this rollicking experiment Spurlock is the guinea pig, and the results are
unsettling. In one month he eats the same amount of McDonald’s food that
nutritionists recommend eating over the course of eight years and gains
nearly twenty-five pounds in the process.

Among the many disturbing
statistics cited in “Super Size Me,” the fact that sixty percent of
Americans are overweight is a focus of attention. The film is peppered with
images of obese citizens cruising fast food causeways. Well, maybe this is
America. One of the first things that an Argentine friend of mine said upon
visiting the US for the first time was, “Americans are fat!” While a good
percentage of the world’s population wakes up each morning not knowing where
their breakfast is going to come from, many Americans wake up each morning
not knowing if they’ll be able to see their toes when they get out of bed.
Spurlock points out that America’s fast food industries, especially
McDonald’s, fuel this excess. McDonald’s feeds more people each day than the
entire population of Spain, and in Manhattan alone there are roughly eighty
McDonald’s franchises. In more ways than one, Spurlock was taking on a giant
when he decided to make this film.

In the beginning of the
movie, we learn that Spurlock’s girlfriend is a vegan chef, highlighting the
potential risk not only to his health, but also to his love life. “I am a
little worried about him,” says the girlfriend before Spurlock begins his
ordeal. If the new diet disturbed his girlfriend, it did the same to his
doctors. Before he begins his Golden Arches fast he receives a checkup by
three doctors, all of whom give him a clean bill of health and advise
Spurlock not to go through with the venture. Two days later, he is vomiting
a super sized meal out of his car window. “It is the same when you’re
quitting smoking,” Spurlock says to the camera, “the first three days are
the worst. After you’re over that hump, it gets easier.” As his McBinge
continues, Spurlock’s smiling face becomes pale and sickly. He admits to
experiencing dizzy spells and depression. A week into it, we hear his
girlfriend’s commentary on the decline of his sexual performance. “I feel
horrible,” he tells the camera on day eight.

Interspersed throughout the
movie is disturbing information about McDonald’s strategies to win
customers. At one point Spurlock points out that one of the business’s
strengths is its effective way of drawing children into their restaurants
and getting them hooked at a young age. They use what kids love best:
clowns, birthday parties, toys and, of course, playgrounds. In some areas,
the only playground the community has is the one at McDonald’s. One of the
most powerful moments in “Super Size Me” occurs when Spurlock shows first
graders pictures of George Washington, Jesus Christ and Ronald McDonald. You
guessed it, our friend Ronald is the only figure of the three that all the
kids recognize.

Aside from a horror movie
about cannibalism I saw in Mexico, I’ve never been to a movie that gave me
quite the same gastric sensation. My stomach was gurgling throughout the
film, and its queasiness worsened as Spurlock’s adventure continued. In one
strangely sober scene on day twenty-one, Spurlock wakes up in the middle of
the night, unable to breathe. Peering blearily into the camera, he complains
of heart palpitations and dizziness. He weakly comments that he wants to
keep going with the project, but not at the cost of his life. A family
history of heart problems starts rearing its ugly head. His next visit to
his indignant doctors tells him that it might be time to quit the McDiet.
“Your liver is like pate,” one doctor explains. After a few phone
conversations with his loved ones, and some serious self-reflection, it
looks like he might give up on the endeavor. However, in the next scene he
is hesitantly swallowing another Big Mac for dinner.

The remaining days slip by
like hamburger grease, and though his health condition only worsens, he
makes it to the one month mark without any more brushes with death. His
vegan girlfriend and a team of three doctors have a detox diet and exercise
routine planned out for him. It took him nine long months to get back to his
original weight.

Though the informative
criticism and Spurlock’s hilarious ordeal were well worth the six dollars it
cost to see the movie, the film failed to address one of the biggest pulls
of McDonald’s -- its affordability. This is a relevant issue, especially
now, when the economy is weak and jobs are scarce. Yet Spurlock focuses his
wit more on the ad campaigns and political lobbying of the industry than on
its economic appeal. However, after “Super Size Me” came out, McDonald’s
pulled the super size options from their menus, claiming that the decision
had nothing to do with the film.

I would highly recommend
watching this movie, but don’t stop by the Golden Arches on your way to the
theatre. An hour after “Super Size Me” was over I still felt sick to my
stomach. Morgan Spurlock took one for the team with this film; he suffered
so that we may learn from his mistakes. In an interview on FilmThreat.com,
when asked what he gained from the experience, Spurlock said “In a situation
like this, we are the ones in control -– WE PAY THEM. If you don’t like what
they’re giving you, then don’t pay them. If you vote with your fork long
enough, they will try to appease you.”